When Tamil superstar Rajnikanth’s son-in-law, Dhanush, sang Kolaveri Di for 3 and got millions of hits on YouTube, tinsel town mandarins predicted that the film would fly high.  But it did not. Rather, as one daily said, after hitting a three, the movie went for a six. Only that unlike in

cricket, this six was no royal roll high off the ground. It seemed like a ball that the bat could not connect. 3 began with a noon show which was packed in just about every theatre where the film was screened. Word of mouth in these days of mobile texting and social sites on the internet is quicker than you can finish saying 3. The very next show, according to reports from exhibitors, saw a 50% drop in patronage. Which declined dramatically as the day wore off. Now, one is told, 3 is running to empty theatres.

Here are two quotes from distributors. Arul Pathy, president of the Tamil Nadu Film Distributors’ Association, told the media that the movie generated all the hype with the song, but the film itself could not live up to that expectation. Telugu movie producer and distributor Natti Kumar reportedly said that out of the Rs. 6 crores he spent on distribution rights and publicity, he had been able to recover only Rs. 1.70 crores.